Snow’s mastery of ether and chloroform raised him to a new echelon in the London medical world. He became the most sought-after anesthesiologist in the city, assisting with hundreds of operations a year. By the 1850s, a growing number of doctors were recommending chloroform as a palliative for the discomfort of childbirth. As the birth of her eighth child approached in the spring of 1853, Queen Victoria decided to give chloroform a try,
